A New Feeling
by Nightranger
Summary: Isaac has not known love or joy for many years. Soon, that wil be changed.


Pain. That was all he could feel. As well as anger. Another jolt of pain lanced through his leg as it was smashed into the ground.

"Had enough?" A tall boy sneered. He was big, with broad shoulders, and spiky red hair that seemed to defy gravity.

Without waiting for a response, he lashed out again, catching the smaller boy in the ribs. He cried out, but nobody came to his aid. Anger was all he could feel now. It raced through his blood, and filled his mind. Even the pain melted away.

He looked up at his oppressors. There were eight of them. All of them large, all of them intimidating. It was no wonder that there was not a single person who dared to interfere. They were all afraid. Even the police.

His blood boiled as he thought about it. 'How can they just stand there, when this is happening? All that matters to them is keeping themselves free of harm. Cowards.'

But his thoughts didn't matter, as another foot slammed into his chest. He was furious with the people attacking him. They only chose him because they knew he couldn't fight back. Then again, nobody else could, either.

He was also angry with himself. 'Why am I so weak?' He thought. Of course, he knew why. It was because he didn't eat most nights, as since his mother had died, his father was regularly drunken, and took out his frustrations on his son. He still bore the scars.

"Lights out." Their leader said. He brought his foot up, but before it came crashing down, a voice cut through the air.

"Stop!"

A girl walked calmly toward them. They turned towards her, and attempted to look as menacing as possible. But she did not falter.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" The redhead said, cracking his knuckles.

"It looks like someone's a little clueless about the way things operate around here."

"I do know. But I do not care." The newcomer said.

"All you ever do is attack those weaker than yourselves. So, just leave this poor person alone. He has done you no wrong."

"Hmph. Like we care. Although, I guess we have beat him up pretty good." The leader replied, thinking.

"Oh well. That's enough for today boys." He said to the others. They turned around, albeit reluctantly, and walked off, leaving the poor youth lying on the ground.

The bruised, beaten figure lay on the ground, still not sure of why he was still conscious. He opened his eyes carefully, and looked up. There was a girl standing there. She had long, cerulean blue hair, and a kind face. She looked almost angelic as she reached down, and offered her hand.

He took it gratefully, and slowly rose. He was surprised he could still stand.

"Are you injured?" The girl inquired.

"I've had worse. And besides, this isn't the first time they've picked me out."

"Oh." She said sadly. "Let me introduce myself. My name's Mia."

"Isaac." The boy replied.

Mia got her first good look at him. He was of average height, and, while not being thin, was certainly not filled with muscle. He had sandy blonde hair that fell messily around his face, and was streaked with dirt. He looked like he had not bathed in many days.

Isaac wasn't really paying attention. His mind was still spinning, and his anger had not subsided. He was busy thinking up methods to extract his revenge, to make them pay for what they had done. Mia saw the look in his eyes, and tried to get his attention.

"Hey!" she said, waving her hand in front of his face.

He snapped out of his state, and then looked at her. The fire was still in his eyes.

"You don't have to be so angry at them." Mia said.

"What?"

"It's OK to forgive them, you know?"

"Why would I? All they do is bully others for their own enjoyment." Isaac spat.

"But they're still human!"

"No they're not." Isaac stated darkly.

Mia was shocked. She couldn't believe what he was saying. She had been brought up to believe that deep down, everyone was good, and all they needed was a second chance. Isaac's view was radically different to hers.

Isaac began to walk away, but Mia stopped him.

"Look, thanks for saving me and all, but I'm leaving."

"Not until you let go of your anger. I can see what it's doing to you."

"That's all well and good for you to say, but you haven't lived the life that I have." Isaac started walking again.

"So? I don't need to have to see that you're better off without it."

Isaac was beginning to see her point, but he didn't show it. Inside, he was having a huge moral conflict. One side of him desperately wanted revenge for all the wrongs dealt to him. The other just wanted to let it all go, and start fresh.

"Please, just put it behind you." Mia said, with a pleading look in her eyes. Isaac didn't want to at first, but soon, after seeing her face, something happened to him. He felt the anger flow out of him, draining away, and leaving no evidence it had ever been there. It was strange. He felt free. All of his tensions relaxed, and his body didn't feel like it had just been pounded relentlessly.

Isaac felt something that he had not felt since the death of his mother so many years ago. He felt loved.


End file.
